While some of the office hunt down sneaky peeks of what’s Fresh and Good at the London Bike Show, we’ve still got plenty of interesting bits and pieces that have landed in the office over the past week for you to peruse. So, stick the butty in your gob and fill your keyboard with crumbs; it’s Fresh Goods Friday time..
Santa Cruz Nickel
Say hello to Chipps’ new Long Term test bike, the 125mm travel Nickel. It uses the APP linkage-driven single pivot design with the ability to take 120-140mm travel forks in the tapered headtube. We tested one back in the mists of time (Issue 61 actually) but Chipps is keen to spend some quality time with the do-it-all trail bike that uses the more affordable alternative suspension platform to Santa Cruz’s VPP range. The bike pictured comes in the 2011 spec, but the 2012 version is imminent and uses 10 speed Deore along with a Sektor fork for £2399.
Price: £2,549 as seen, frame and shock from £1,399
From: Jungle Products
Rock Shox Sektor R forks supply 130mm of travel as part of the standard build kit. That’s matched to a Fox Float RL shock at the back and a 9spd Shimano Deore drivetrain with Avid Juicy 5 brakes. Tyres are a well-thought out mix of Maxxis High Roller 2 up front and Maxxis Crossmark at the back.
Dropper post guides all present and correct, plus super tidy bearing covers to keep crap out of the APP linkage.
The Nickel has a nicely rangey 23″ top tube on this medium frame the the head angle is 68°. We think they’re good numbers for a do-it-all trail bike – but we’ll be reporting how it gets on over the summer…
Muc-Off Helmet & Visor Cleaner
No-one likes a mucky helmet or dirty goggles – and this solvent-free pump spray promises to keep both streak-free. It’s safe to use on all sorts of helmet and lens materials including polycarbonates. Muc-Off say it’ll cut through grease, grime, snow and dirt easily, being designed initially for motorbike use. You can get it in the 35ml spray as above and there’s a 250ml refill bottle available too…
Price: £3.49 for 35ml
From: Muc-Off
XSories Small Deluxe Octopus Mount
This is a flexible-legged tripod mount designed to work with lightweight compact cameras or videos such as GoPro, Contour (with adaptor) or Drift. There’s a quick-release swivel head and although it’s five legs shy of an octopus, the legs that are there can be bend around things to provide a stable platform for filming or photos.
Price: £12.99
From: Action Cameras
XSories Big U Shot
This is an lightweight, mono-pod which will extend from 30cm up to 95cm, but Sim thinks it works just as well as a pimp-stick. He be trippin. The 1/4″ mount on the swivel head will take cameras weighing up to 500g (so don’t go shoving your Canon 1D on there) and there’s even a tiny little mirror build into the head so you can position it when doing self-shots – or see if there are any playa-haterz behind you.
Price: £33.99
From: Action Cameras
XSories Silicon Skin for GoPro HD
Bored with the perfectly functional but boring outer of your GoPro? Worry not, now you can add a splash of colour and a bit of extra protection to it with this range of silicone covers…
Price: £14.99
From: Action Cameras
XSories Hooded Silicon Cover for GoPro HD
Designed to customise, cover and protect your GoPro, this silicone cover is designed to work with the latest GoPro BacPac LCD screens. The hooded part reduces the glare on the screen, meaning you can view footage and angles even in bright sunlight. They’re available in a whole load of colours and finishes too…
Price: £24.99
From: Action Cameras
XSories Aqua Note waterproof MP3 player
This sports specific waterproof MP3 and WMA player has a 2GB memory and built in lithium battery which recharges via USB2.0. XSories say it’s ideal for sweaty sports such as cycling as well as swimming..
Price: £54.99
From: Action Cameras
Muc-Off Drivetrain Cleaner
This is Muc-Off’s new (non-pink, boo!) heavy duty drivetrain cleaner. You can either spray it onto your rings, chain and casette or use it in a chain bath. Like their multi-purpose pink Nano Tech bike cleaner, it’s both biodegradable and safe to use on metal, plastic and rubber.
Price: £12 for 500ml trigger bottle
From: Muc-Off
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oooh, who’s is the XA? (3?4?) Good taste in cameras! 🙂
MY XA4 is my pride and joy…
Ha! We said the first comment would be about the XA. That one belongs to Chipps, it’s an XA4 Macro.
interesting tyre choice onthe Nickel especially for this time of year. A minion on the front and high roller on the back would be more uk friendly 🙂
The XA4 will be going on ebay soon… Anyone interested? 🙂
Have you got the A11 flash? I have the XA1 and XA2, both of which have accompanied me on multiple climbing trips all over the world and still shoot perfectly despite being dropped down rock faces, put up with sub zero and humid temperature extremes and taking the odd bath. Amazing bits of kit.
And that’s what you get when jungle/SC gouge UK pricing. Deore/Sektor spec on a £2,500 bike
80
That Nickel is IMHO the best looking bike you’ve had on a Friday in a very long while.
I don’t understand mp3 players while you’re riding.